Jean Florian and his sister Mariora were well known jugglers
in the 1930s-1940s. Both performed in Australia during the period and Mariora
eventually settled in the country.
Jean and Mariora were born in Dresden Germany to Romanian
parents. The family name was Matei and their father, Florian Matei, was a gymnast.
Jean and Mariora used Florian, their
father’s first name as a stage name, hence Jean Florian, and Mariora Florian (usually
just Mariora). Matei, who often travelled with them in their early careers,
went by Matei Florian.
In 1929, Jean made his first visit to Australia. He was 19
years old and considered a ‘boy wonder’. The Australian newspapers told a story
of how the great Cinquevalli had first ignored Jean, but after being pestered
by those who though Jean had talent, decided to train the boy
wonder. This was likely publicity spin as Cinquevalli died in 1918. With the posthumous blessing of Cinquevalli, Jean had quite a successful tour of
Australia in 1929.
Jean was described as a ‘remarkably graceful juggler’, but the
most remarkable thing about him was his youth and association with Cinquevalli.
On this tour, there were few reviews of his juggling, but he, and his father,
who accompanied him, must have thought there was promise in Australia because Jean
returned 6 years later.
Jean returned in November 1935 and was
interviewed when he arrived in Perth with ‘partner’ Kathleen Schmidt. He
described his act as an improved form of Japanese juggling that had never been
seen in Australia.
A month later he arrived in Melbourne, ready to perform for the
Tivoli circuit.
He gave another interview and was asked two very pertinent
questions.
What is your hobby? To which he answered, ‘Juggling’
And ‘What is your ambition?’ ‘To be a good juggler’
Jean told the interviewer that he practised 10 hours a day.
Obviously juggling was his obsession.
His performance at the Tivoli in Melbourne was popular with
audiences and critics. When the curtain rose he was vigorously skipping with a
ball bouncing on his head. He caught balls with the tips of his toes, on the
end of a stick held in his teeth, and on the back of his neck. The audience threw
balls at him and he would catch them on different parts of his body. His skill
and grace were notable and reviews of his act were florid in their praise.
He was labelled as more a magician than juggler because, ‘
balls which ought to drop to the ground halt at the command of Florian’s magic
wand.’
The critic added, ‘It is as if he has taken the magnetic
property out of the earth and placed it where he will’
He was considered the best juggler to grace Australian
shores since Cinquevalli. In Sydney his dextrous juggling and spinning of
several balls at once was greeted with standing ovations.
In July, Jean joined Stanley Mckay’s troupe and headed to
Brisbane. He was greeted as an international superstar by audiences and was
warmly received by the press.
Overall Jean’s tour of Australia was greeted with rapturous applause
and critical acclaim.
Jean remained in the country for over 6 months and his warm
reception probably influenced the visit of Mariora, his sister two years later.
19 year old Mariora arrived in Australia accompanied by her
father Matei in June 1938 and under engagement to the Tivoli. She was described
as one of the few lady jugglers in the world and the sister of famous juggler,
Jean Florian.
According to the newspapers, Matei had created an academy of
jugglers which had spawned Jean. Jean in turn trained Mariora, who first
appeared on stage in Europe at age 16.
Mariora spent most of her time in Australia as part of a combined
film and vaudeville show. The vaudeville acts filled the spaces between movies. In 1938, the movie
craze was reaching fever pitch in Australia so it was difficult for a young
juggler to get much attention.
She was described as a ‘trim and lively little lady, built
on springs.’ She juggled tennis racquets and balls and rings ‘in defiance of
the laws of gravity.’ One published picture showed her balancing a ball on a
stick whilst bending backwards, it was a clear reference to her brother’s act.
Although she stayed in Australia for almost 3 months,
Mariora did not have the same impact on audiences as her brother. She returned
to Europe to continue her career later in 1938.
Both of the Florians continued juggling in Europe however, the
Second World War brought some intrigue and danger to their lives.
Jean’s partner Kathleen was the daughter of the famous Kitty
Schmidt who was a brothel keeper in Germany. In in 1940s, Kitty’s brothel
became the centre of a Nazi intelligence operation where the loyalties and
secrets of World War 2 were tested and traded. The story of this operation has
been told in books, a well known film called Salon Kitty and a website.
Jean and Kathleen had a son Jochem in June 1942 and they subsequently
married. There are several pictures of them available on the Salon Kitty website. Jean died in 1945 of pneumonia.
Mariora married a man called Roy Short in England and
eventually migrated to Australia. The pair had children and grandchildren and
Mariora died in 2005 in Queensland.
Recently Juggling Historian David Cain found lost film of
Jean juggling. That footage and David’s commentary can be found here.